Chapter 4 - The Poisoned Bottle
"Clear," Lorenzo called out into the empty hallway, though his eyes remained fixed on the doorway. Moments later, the heavy thud of combat boots signaled the arrival of his loyal head of security, Kaelen, and a tactical squad rushing up the stairs.
"Boss! Sector secure. The traitor was Brenda’s handler on the inside—we neutralized him in the courtyard," Kaelen reported, panting slightly as he stepped over the debris. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me kneeling on the floor, holding the crying infant against my chest while my maid's uniform was half-unbuttoned.
Kaelen’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Is that... the heir? Is he feeding?"
"Yes," Lorenzo snapped, standing up tall and adjusting his cuffs as if he hadn't just engaged in a lethal shootout. "And don't you dare look anywhere near them. Kaelen, secure the perimeter, search every inch of this estate, and find out who else was working with Viktor."
"Right away, sir." Kaelen nodded sharply, stepping back into the hall to coordinate the sweep.
I carefully pulled Leo back to my chest, letting out a ragged sigh of relief as the little boy instinctively latched on again. The heart monitor immediately steadied, its steady beep-beep-beep returning to a healthy rhythm as the infant swallowed rhythmically.
Lorenzo walked slowly over to the night nurse's chair. Brenda was still slumped over, breathing heavily in a drug-induced stupor. Lorenzo reached down and picked up the half-empty crystal wineglass. He swirled the dark liquid gently, sniffing the rim. His nostrils flared.
"Flunitrazepam," Lorenzo said quietly, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy register. "A powerful synthetic sedative. Enough to knock out an adult elephant, let alone a sleep-deprived nurse."
"She wasn't just sleeping on the job," I whispered, gently stroking Leo's soft brown hair as he nursed. "She was keeping herself out of the way so she wouldn't have to watch him fade. Or worse... she was the one administering it."
Lorenzo’s hand tightened around the crystal glass until it cracked down the middle, a tiny drop of blood welling up from his palm, though he didn't seem to feel it.
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"She wasn't just starving my son," Lorenzo snarled softly, his dark eyes burning with a fury that could incinerate mountains. "She was poisoning his formula bottles during the day, making everyone think he had a congenital failure to thrive. Someone paid her a fortune to make sure my family line ended right here in this room."
He turned his fierce gaze toward me. "And you... you walked in at the exact second to save him."
